Nevada Senate: Revised Bottom Line

This open seat where Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is retiring after five terms is Republicans’ best opportunity to pick up a Democratic-held seat. Reid hopes he anointed his successor when he threw his support to former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who pulled just nominal primary opposition and won the nomination with 81 percent. The Republican field quickly solidified once Gov. Brian Sandoval announced, as expected, that he would not run. Although U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, a physician and Brigadier General in the Army Reserves, quickly became a heavy favorite for the GOP nod, he had to fend off a primary challenge from Sharron Angle, who was the party’s Senate nominee in 2010. Angle had a great deal of support from Tea Party activists across the country, but ran a disastrous campaign, losing to a very vulnerable Reid by four points. It appears that the clock has run out on Angle’s 15 minutes of fame as Heck had little trouble beating her in this year’s primary. He took 65 percent to 23 percent for Angle; seven other candidates